Ice creams Sundaes are whimsical desserts that cater to everyone’s fantasy. And this post is your Ice cream sundae 101. From the basics of creating a sundae to how to setup an Ice cream Sundae bar. And ending with my favourite four variations. This is a post you need for all your summer parties.
Before I start the basics of this post, let’s take a moment to pause and agree that Ice Cream Sundaes are AWESOME! They are like the best ever Summer dessert. Agree with me? Good, read on and if you don’t agree then maybe check out some other posts because this is all about ICE CREAM SUNDAE!!!
I remember growing up we used to go to Nirulas and I always used to have the Hot Chocolate Fudge Sundae. HCF like we used to call it was my introduction to this style of desserts. Three scoops of vanilla ice cream, some hot chocolate sauce and topped with some nuts, to my teenage self it was heaven. I have memories of sharing these with friends and the boys I dated. Then later when I moved to Bangalore, Corner House’s Death by Chocolate was something I always loved.
I think every city has an ice cream parlour like this, the ice cream per se are very ordinary but the Sundae holds a special place in our nostalgia. As I have grown up, I have moved away from those Sundaes but I still love Ice cream Sundae as a concept. And I often make one for family or when I am throwing a party. Everyone loves them and it is a great way to end the party on a happy note.
Of course, making an Ice cream Sundae is time-consuming as a party dessert. You don’t want to spend an hour assembling Sundaes for everyone at the end of a long brunch. But it makes for a great DIY dessert and activity. Everyone gets to choose what they want and you can sit back and enjoy the show. Maybe ask one of your friends to fix you one as host/hostess favour too.
And doing this is really simple, all you need to do is set up what we like to call at home an Ice Cream Sundae Bar. Few flavours of ice creams, toppings, glasses and bowls are all you need. So here is the low down of setting it up.
How to Setup an Ice cream sundae Bar
- Have loads of toppings ready. You can keep them in small bowls but I find muffin tray’s so convenient for this. If I have a large crowd I even make two of these so that people don’t have to wait for long
- Be creative about your toppings. Think of flavours and textures, what is the crowd you have. Are they mainly kids or mainly adults or a mix of both. Few toppings that work very well in our house are:
- Chocolate Chips
- Gems/M&M
- Wafers
- Nuts
- Herbs like mint/basil etc
- Nutties, kitkat and other chocolate
- Gummy bears
- Chia/Basil seeds
- Dry Rose petals
- Fruits like berries, mangoes, banana, kiwi. Pretty much whatever is in season
- Cereal like granola, rainbow loops
- Popcorn
- And candied bacon
- Falooda noodles
- Think about sauces and jams. A sundae is not a sundae if there is no sauce to top it all. And the canvas is very wide in here, from various flavours of jams to peanut butter to salted caramel to good old chocolate sauce
- If you have adults around have some liquor on hand. Baileys, Kahlua, Cointreau all make for a great adult topping for the Sundae
And if you are the kinds who need recipes, here are four of my favourite Ice cream Sundae recipes. More a direction really because I think that’s what Sundaes need typically.
Tropical Sundae
- Mango Ice cream – 1 scoop
- Tender Coconut Ice cream – 2 scoops
- 1/2 mango chopped
- toasted desiscated coconut – 1 tsbp
Chocolate Lover’s Sundae
- Chocolate Ice cream – 3 scoop
- Hot chocolate sauce – 2 tbsp
- chocolate chips – 1 tbsp
- wafers and more chocolate to top
Falooda Sundae
- 2 scoops of badaam kulfi
- 2 tbsp of boiled falooda noodles (rice vermicelli works)
- Sabja/basil seeds – 1 tbsp
- Rose jam/gulkand – 1 tbsp
- Rose syrup – 1 tbsp
Salted Caramel And Bacon
- Vanilla Ice Cream – 2 scoops
- Salted Caramel Sauce – 1 tbsp
- Candied Bacon – 2 strips
I hope you enjoyed this post and it will motivate you to create some pretty Sundaes. If it does, do share a picture with me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook? I would love to hear what you have to say about it.
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